A Glaswegian was blow away when his dad turned up at Glasgow Airport and surprised his son with a rendition on the bagpipes to celebrate the family reuniting for the first time in three years.
Douglas Birch, who returned home from Chicago via Amsterdam today with his new wife Olivia, had not seen his family since April 2019.
The 25-year-old was due to reconnect with his folks at his wedding celebrations in Chicago in April 2020, but were unable to as America and the rest of the world went into lockdown.
After three long years Douglas, who is originally from Bearsden, was brought to tears by the pitch perfect reunion when he saw his dad Lachie, mum Fiona and sister Vivienne waiting for him at the airport.
As well as tears of happiness at seeing his family, there was also an element of confusion for Douglas, who had no idea his dad could play the bagpipes.
Lachie, 61, said: “I’m a musician and play the drums, but I was never a piper. Ahead of attending the original wedding celebration in April 2020 my sister-in-law (name) challenged me to learn how to play the bagpipes as a surprise.
“Even though our plans to head over to America didn’t happen, I decided to stick with the pipes anyway as I’d started to learn, although, I didn’t realise how hard it was going to be.
“It was great to not only see Douglas and his new bride again after so long, but it was also brilliant to see the look on his face – he had no idea!”
Douglas, who works as an assistant camera operator and has lived in Chicago for six years, said: “Today couldn’t have been any better. My dad’s never been a fan of the bagpipes, so I never thought in my wildest dreams he’d ever learn to play them. What a surprise!
“It’s great to be home and to see my family again – it’s been too long. It also felt like the perfect Scottish festive morning as we left the airport – it felt like home and I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with my family and Olivia in Scotland.”
